internecine

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin internecīnus (“deadly”), from internecium (“a massacre, bloodbath; an eradication”) + -īnus. In Latin, the sememe 'between' was here not expressed by the prefix, it instead either had a somewhat emphatic meaning or meant "down, under", comparable to its use in other Latin terms related to death: see interficiō and intereō. The English current sense is thus a reanalysis of the Latin through English inter-. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌɪntəˈniːsaɪn/, /-sɪn/ (US) IPA(key): /ˌɪntɚˈnɛsin/, /ˌɪntɚˈnisin/, /ˌɪntɚˈnɛsən/ Rhymes: -iːn === Adjective === internecine (not comparable) Mutually destructive; most often applied to warfare. Characterized by struggle within a group, usually applied to an ethnic or familial relationship. ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== mutual assured destruction